Introduction

Bryston is known for building some of the most sought-after, powerful and dependable amplifiers in the business. For over 40 years, they have provided an incredible 20 year transferable warranty, practically unheard of in this or any industry. If you find one (that is if you can find one) on the used market, chances are it will still be under warranty. Their rare appearance on the used market has as much to do with their sound quality and dependable (high) power delivery as it does with their warranty.

Based in Ontario, Canada, Bryston has grown to become one of the industries largest independent electronic manufactures. Their products include power amplifiers, preamps, processors, CD players, DACS, and more. Yet, they do not just grab any OEM machine, slap a matching face-plate on and call it a day. They engineer and thoroughly test all their gear before it ever gets to the audio dealer's showroom.

They have a quality control program that ensures every individual hand built amplifier is tested not once, but three times before leaving the shop. First, the amplifier components are tested before being assembled, then the unit is tested a second time after it has been assembled, and finally it is tested after the intense 100 hour burn-in session. This final test is recorded on a data sheet that is included with every amp. This shows total harmonic distortion at full rated power, intermodulation distortion, and noise level with the inputs shorted, and the output power at clipping. The 9B SST² that I received for review tested above the rated output, which is typical of Bryston's conservative specifications.